More blood donors are needed

Although most people are able to give blood, only about 4% of the population donate regularly.

In England, around 8,000 blood transfusions are carried out every day, so there's a need for blood donations.

As blood can only be safely stored for a relatively short time, hospital blood stocks need to be continuously refreshed. Red blood cells can only be stored for 35 days and platelets (the part of the blood that helps prevent excessive bleeding) can only be stored for seven days.

In particular, blood donations are needed from black and Asian people because the current levels of black and Asian donors are very low. Certain ethnic groups often require certain blood types, so having donations from a wide range of ethnic groups is a more effective way of meeting the potential demand for blood.

NHS Blood and Transplant

In England and parts of Wales, the blood donation process is overseen by NHS Blood and Transplant. This service relies on voluntary donations from the general public to keep the service running. Donating blood is a relatively quick procedure (it usually takes less than an hour) and is virtually painless.

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Comments

The 6 comments about ‘Blood Donation’ posted are personal views. Any information they give has not been checked and may not be accurate.

huck said on 30 August 2014

Due to my job I usually just 'pop-in' where ever I am working.Over the past year I have noticed a serious decline in morale of the staff. It is almost impossible to be seen without at least an hour wait as, I am told, too many donors are called in by telephone for the teams to cope with. Most teams are under-staffed and looking at the average ages of the ladies, I find it amazing that they manage to lug all the equipment and beds around each day that they do.They put on a cheery face but when you talk to them they all say that they are being pressured by management. Tea breaks have been stopped, lunch is just 20 minute - if they are lucky - and god help you if you get ill. I was told that the staff had to make their own way home - after being taken to the venue in a mini-bus from blood service base, where they had left their cars! No help, no taxi - just get on with it.A lot of these ladies love their work and it appears that they are being loaded up with work and bad employment practices to make them leave of their own accord before the NHS announces redundancies and has to pay out compensation to thousands of ladies.As I said, I visit many teams and they all have similar tales.CheshireCheese - dont blame the staff. They have no control. A call centre phones around donors in the area and pleads with them to donate. They turn up but due to low staffing levels etc the teams cannot manage the numbers. Managers will not turn anyone away causing staff more distress - usually from irate donors - and from donors who volunteer but are turned away, probably never to be seen again.A sign of the times: better surgery, less blood needed. But what to do with the donors and staff?

CheshireCheese said on 03 February 2014

I have been giving blood for many years and am a Bronze donor. Recently i have been appalled and disgusted at how impossible it is to give a blood donation.

It's been 1 year since i managed to successfully give blood! That is no joke.. i have attempted walk-in centres and and tried sign-up to get an advance appointment when they come to my area. on 5 separate occasions i have been turned away from the main donor centre in Manchester. You try and book an advance appointment, select your date and time and days later you get an email you have been unsuccessful in getting the appointment!

There is a fundamental problem with the system so the NHS cannot cry they have a shortage of blood as donors are having immense problems giving blood at anytime let alone lunchtimes or out of hours!

In the end i have given up when the Give Blood team visited my area and turned me away saying i didn't have an appointment, even though the information clearly states that you don't need one?! The staff and rude and inconsiderate and quite simply don't want to help or work! There is no effort on the part of the staff to take your donation at any point..

all the staff do is lay blame to being short-staffed.. it's shocking that donors have to face this kind of experience.

What's worse if that you make complaints and they send you an apology but to nothing about fixing the system. All i get is communications telling me how they need blood and how i should contact my local donor centre and give blood..

well i have done that and they can't even be bothered to pick up the phone.. to add insult to injury they tell me the next available appointment is some 6 months away!

Vulpes said on 11 November 2013

I used to be registered on something called the interval study, where people are tested with various time spans to see how often someone can safely donate, in order to increase blood supply by potentially more frequent donations. I have only donated three times, but want to donate more. I live in the Liverpool area.

But, I have no idea how people can donate blood more frequently if every time I try to make an appt they are fully booked. I am no longer registered on the interval study because I was consistently put off donating - being told that I can only donate at specific donation centres (one which incurred travel costs and is not local to where I live/work), being told at this donation centre that they do not have any appts and being told that they cannot book appts online through this study. I asked to withdraw via email, they responded that I have to complete a form with 'No Contact or Further use'. They did not send me this form, until I specifically requested it, as they were reluctant for me to no longer participate.

But even since requesting to sign out of the interval study, I still find it nigh-on-impossible to find an appt anywhere. I work locally to a church which has its next blood donation session on in 10 days, but is already fully booked. Their next session is not until another 4 months. I have requested an appt at another church early next month local to where I live, and they have not acknowledged the request. Each time I pass a donation centre, I pop in to see if they have space for a donation and they tell me that they are fully booked.

velveire said on 25 April 2012

I'm sure the yuk factor deters some people from giving blood. I am unable to give blood for donation because I am on long-term medication, but I have given a sample from my arm to Biobank, and hardly felt a thing.

However, I have also had samples taken by a phlebotomist at my GP's surgery, and in hospital, which have been slightly more painful.

I'm sure that medical staff get more skilled with practice, and I would imagine that blood transfusion staff would be very skilled at taking blood virtually painlessly.

I have also had samples taken from the side of my thumb, and I have to say that this is more acceptable than from a finger tip.

Gentle Knight said on 16 June 2011

I have to say that the NHS can't be all that desperate for blood. Their policies show they must have way more than enough.

In Canada I gave blood every three months. Then I was enrolled in a programme that allowed the Blood Donation Service to take a certain part of my blood every six weeks.

I came to England and the NHS firstly only take anyone's blood every six months, then they flatly refused to take my blood at all. That's because I have diabetes. I had diabetes in Canada as well. It made no difference when donating in Canada.

Now I'm sure the blood of Canadians is not that different to the blood of Brits, so the only conclusion I can come to is the obviously the NHS are overstocked with blood. As such how can I possible believe their calls for more donors? It strikes me it's a hoax. They are crying wolf!